Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Very Long Grab Bag and A Curse Dark as Gold Giveaway!

Sorry for the delay in posts.My life has been so busy the last several weeks because my husband has been gone twelve hours a day (at least!) doing an internship with the Utah Supreme court in Salt Lake City, an hour away from where we live. But he completed his last day yesterday, so guess what!?!?!?! Tomorrow I get to start being a full-time writer for the summer! Yay!!!! (I'm excited, can you tell?:)) I am planning on finishing the sequel to WINGS as well as the Miss Snark book this summer, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Also, as all of you are aware, I am heading to New York on Monday and since my hotel has free high-speed internet, I will blog about my journey every night with lots of pictures and commentary! It will be a fun week!

On the business end, if you live near Salt Lake City, Utah (and I know some of you do *grin*) the lovely, talented, and fabulous Shannon Hale is organizing a "Write for Charity" workshop supporting an organization that provide wheelchairs to handicapped people who can't afford them. This workshop focuses solely on children's, middle grade, and young adult writing and has a lot of awesome authors attending, including myself. (My first workshop! I'm so excited!) If this interests you, here is the official press release!

" Writing for Charity

This summer have unfettered access to professional children’s authors, all in the name of charity! Saturday, July 19 several local authors will host a Writing for Charity event in Salt Lake City, with all profits going to The Wheelchair Project. Come hear writers talk about their process, how to write for a young audience, storytelling tips, and the ins and outs of the publishing business. In addition, have your picture book text or first page of your novel (the most important page!) workshopped by professionals.

Space is limited, first come first serve. To reserve your spot, mail in the $45 registration fee.

Mailing address: 1176 E 2620th N Provo, UT 84604-4132

Make checks to: “LDS Philanthropies” (the organization that runs The Wheelchair Project) and write “Wheelchair” in the memo line.

Also include: Your name, age, phone number, and area of interest--picture book writing, fantasy novel, or realistic fiction novel.

On the day of the event, bring 15 copies of the first page of your novel or picture book text (maximum word count: 300 words) for some hands-on workshopping.

100% of the proceeds (after the nominal location fee) go to The Wheelchair Project, a wonderful charity that donates new wheelchairs to people in third world countries, many of whom have never had one. A wheelchair can completely change the life of a disabled person, offering mobility, increased independence, and a chance to go to school or find employment. Because this charity is administered by volunteers with LDS Philanthropy, there is no overhead and every penny donated goes directly to purchasing wheelchairs. This is not a religious charity--the wheelchairs go to the needy regardless of their faith. Thank you for supporting this extraordinary cause!"

Okay, and now on to our next book giveaway!

I am so excited to give this book away because I really , *really* adored it. The day after I finished it (stayed up till 2:00 AM finishing it!) I told everyone I knew about it and went to the bookstore and turned it face out.;) (Just a note, it must be selling well because when I went to the bookstore this morning, they had turned the whole stack face out on their own.:)) So without further ado, I give you the beautiful cover from A Curse Dark as Gold.

Now I have always thought the story of Rumpelstiltskin was really lame. It just seemed corny to me. So I was skeptical about this book. But Elizabeth if a lovely friendly person and a lot of the authors over at the Blue Boards recommended it so highly that I went ahead and picked it up. And I am so glad I did!! It is a dark, riveting story set just before the Industrial Revolution about a girl who inherits a mill when her father dies and the dark deals she has to make to keep it alive. And just when you think you know what is going to happen, Elizabeth throws something new but completely perfect at you. You will not actually find the name Rumpelstiltskin in this book, nor is Charlotte a simpering maid who happily trades her firstborn child for a crown. No, this story is deeper, darker, scarier, and much, much more reasonable than Grimm's tale every dreamed of being. A fabulous, fabulous book. And even if you don't manage to win it here, go find it. Buy it, steal it, check it out from the library, whatever you need to do. Okay, don't actually steal it, but read this book. It is amazing!

So here are the rules. You must enter via the comments section by Wednesday, June 18th, at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time. But I am going to require just a little bit more from you this time.;) I am putting together content for my Website and I need some FAQs! So post a comment with a question you would like to see on my website and you are entered into the contest! And like last time, you may enter at either my Blogger blog, or my LiveJournal. If you want to double your chances, you may enter at both sites, but you must ask two different questions for it to count. Clear as mud?? If you have any questions about the rules please feel free to email me. My address is up in my profile.

Oh, and if you are interested in my website, it's here . . . or at least the barebones version.;)

ETA: Elizabeth has offered to throw in a signed bookplate for whoever wins the book!! Thanks Elizabeth!!

24 comments:

The conference sounds like a great idea and that book sounds really interesting! Fingers crossed that I win! ;)

My FAQ for your website is: "When trying to get an agent for WINGS, you wrote that you did market research to help you find a new book idea that would be more appealing to agents since it seemed like the story of WINGS wasn't working. What was involved in that research and how were you able to find out what kinds of stories agents and/or publishers were looking for?"

this book sounds aweseome! Ok, my question is: What is the best part about your first book deal? (I mean, the whole idea of getting published, working with your editor to better your story, ARCs, or anything else...)Emily Rose

Here's a question I've been wondering a lot about lately. You said you had beta readers, I have also heard you talk about AW, so here's the question. Did you ever post and get comments that were toally conflicting: some loved it and some didn't. If so, how did you go about sorting them out?

Okay, I know I already posted a question and it's past the dealine, but I thought of one more that those of us who are also writing might be curious about: How rough is your first "rough" draft of any manuscript?

What are some of your favorite books? Which authors have influenced you?

Describe your writing process. Do you plot/outline? How many drafts do you usually go through before you have something ready to submit to your agent/editor? How long does it usually take you to write a book?

Please put me in aprilynne. I know you were just raving about that book. The cover is beautiful also. Here is my question. How much of writing success is gift, and how much is sweat. I would like explanations and percentages of each. Trina

I am the #1 New York Times Best-Selling author of the Wings series. My husband and I have four children and live in Glendale, Arizona. Further information, including a calendar of events, is available at my official website.